Avalanche warning signs already exist — in nature

Letter-writer Christof Stork advocates “putting up warning signs where there have been avalanches.” Ah, but there are warning signs everywhere in the mountains. All the backcountry traveler needs to do is recognize them.

Signs there for the reading: state of the snowpack, slope angle, evidence of previous slide runs (i.e., tree debris below a gully), north- or east-facing slope, recent wind and storm activity, and other clues can give more than adequate warning. Learning them isn’t a few hours’ effort, but it is certainly achievable and worthwhile. Most any interested person can learn to read terrain.

The reader’s suggestion seems to be to turn the backcountry into a supervised and regulated Disneyland, where someone else is responsible for the skier’s safety. Perhaps people should instead pay attention to their surroundings and be willing to turn back, saving the skiing or summit for another day.

Stan Moore, Morrison

This letter was published in the May 13 edition.

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